Quote:
Originally Posted by haber
I wish my name was Margaret. My bank account would like it, too.
I like the idea of whacking something with a metal pipe to get it to work. Very Fonzi-like. :-) Although it could be too good to be true. Readers might just think I made it up. Getting rid of corrosion on a battery terminal sounds more technical. Hmm, food for thought.
And Shorod, no, the car didn't stall out on them. It had probably been sitting there a couple days and they can't get it started in the first place.
Make and model? Well, so far my place holder is an '87 Chevy. Not very specific, I know. It's old, but not so old as to be classic and it's American. That's all I know. But my character is the type to specify the model so I do need to figure it out. Any advice on an older model American car that could be considered a chick car? He didn't buy it himself. And I can call it a chick car since I am one. :-)
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First of all, because you drive newer, probably reliable vehicles, you have never needed to call a tow truck driver, or roadside-assistance.
Any good tow truck driver, or assistance staffer will, when faced with a no-start condition AND a good battery will whack the starter and then try to start the car. My buddy towed for CAA for years, and it was usually required procedure for CAA to try this, if the staffer deemed it appropriate. So, lots of people are exposed to this particular remedy.
Besides, a Fonzie-esque touch, especially if true-to-life, is a great detail (and you are making up the plot anyways, right?)
Chick cars....... the quintessential '80's chick car is the Volkswagen Cabriolet (Rabbit convertible).
If it HAS to be American.... how about an AMC/Renault Alliance convertible, like the black or the blue ones pictured here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMC_Alliance
That would be old, crummy, completely obscure, girlish and with ZERO appeal for any man. Also, note although they had Renault in the name, they were built in Kenosha, Wisconsin..... making them American.
This might be too obscure. Lots of people have forgotten AMC (American Motors Corp) ever existed. Most people under 30 think AMC is just a movie theatre
So, a more mainstream example is a 4 cyl Mustang convertible, or a Chevy Cavalier convertible........
BTW the original American chick car was the 1955 Dodge La Femme. This was a pink chrome-encrusted sedan, with a make-up kit in the glove box and roses on the seats, marketed exclusively towards women. It's a classic now, but it would be an interesting reference in your novel.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodge_La_Femme